Proposed gig worker rule - New Zealand's cow tax - Asteroid deflection success

The proposed rule is a test the Labor Department will apply to determine whether workers are contractors or employees. It considers how much control workers have over how they do their jobs and how much opportunity they have to increase their earnings by doing things like offering new services. The new version lowers the bar for employee classification from the current test [created by the Trump administration].
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The proposal would apply only to laws that the department enforced, such as the federal minimum wage. States and other federal agencies, like the IRS, set their own criteria. But many employers and regulators in other jurisdictions are likely to consider the department’s interpretation.
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“Today’s proposed rule takes a measured approach, essentially returning us to the Obama era," [said an Uber executive]. Lyft likewise noted that the proposal would restore the approach under President Obama, when drivers were generally classified as contractors, and emphasized that it would not force the company to alter its business model.